KODAK’S
IMPACT
At the end of the 19th century, camera
technology took a huge leap forward,
thanks to a name that many people
will still recognize to this day. The
name Kodak was behind the boom in
photography, with George Eastman the
man behind the brand. On September 4th,
188 8, Eastman received a patent for the
world’s first film camera, which opened
photography up to all kind of enthusiasts.
However, a more affordable model,
called the Kodak Brownie, came out at the
turn of the 20th century. This basic box
camera had a leatherette cover over its
card structure and came with a wooden
film case carrier. It introduced the 2 .25-
inch square format to the photography
world. What these cameras brought
was the availability to create physical
memories and capture moments in time.
The Retina Series 35 mm camera,
released by Kodak in 193 4, was another
breakthrough for photography and for
the company. This series was produced
up until 1969 and during this period,
the 35mm camera was one of the most
popular formats of photography.
Many photographers often refer to
the 35 mm focal lens as the closest field
of view to the human eye, giving a true
representation of what the photographer
sees, and it became one of the most
popular formats. The decline of film as a
format means that Kodak is no longer the
name it once was, however, it was a true
pioneer in the photographic industry.
Kodak’s pioneering Brownie model
was one of the first affordable cameras.
indeed an image after a short exposure,
and though, initially, he couldn’t see it, he
soon found that you could develop it into a
negative using chemicals.
The image on this negative was then
fixed chemically that removed the light-
sensitive silver so that the picture could
be seen in light. Using the negative from
the image, Talbot discovered that he could
print copies from this negative. This was
more efficient than the daguerreotype as
you could create any number of positive
prints. This process was called the
‘calotype’ and was patented in 184 1. As a
result of his work, Talbot was awarded a
medal from the Royal Society.
An optician named Charles Louis
Chevalier was one of the first to produce
cameras using the daguerreotype and
calotype processes. These were popular
at the time but photography still wasn’t an
easy and affordable thing that everybody
could do. Physically, they were more
compact versions of camera obscura but
made out of wooden boxes with plates or
light-sensitive paper inside.
From the 18 50s to the late 188 0s, there
was a newer method of image processing
called the collodion process. Invented by
English sculptor Frederick Scott Archer,
this included coating, sensitizing, and
exposing the photographic material,
and letting it develop in a dark room for
around 15 minutes.
This process came about after Archer
took a collodion solution then coated it
on a glass plate. He then exposed this
plate whilst it was wet to produce the
image. It had some disadvantages though,
one of which was that you needed to
have a portable darkroom where this
development process could take place.
Any light that seeped into the darkroom
and the image would be ruined.
This was one of the most dominant
photograph-producing processes though
up until the end of the 188 0s. It was
popular within wealthy communities
and families and the photos produced
eventually made it into newspapers. This
rush of popularity meant that photography
was soon becoming a part of society.
HOL 2021 MAXIMUMPC 49
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